Monday, May 18, 2015

OBOY: Reflecting on Bibles and Translations

I am going to do a little thinking/writing out loud here today. Consider it a journal entry for the day. The context of this reflection is my year doing the OBOY (One Bible, One Year) challenge and the results of my prayer life for the past year or so. I will caution you that this might border on babbling with apparently little coherence. Of course, if you have been reading this blog for a while, this will not be shocking in any way! Still, I am going to do it anyways.

When I started this blog back in 2008, part of my motivation was just a desire to find "my Bible." You know what I mean? I was looking for the "perfect" translation in the best binding and cover materials (Allan's?), with the best cross-references, maps, annotations, all bound together in format that suited my needs. I was seeking perfection. (Or at least what I perceived as perfection.) Often I would complain about this or that translation or publisher, lamenting the "woes" of being a Catholic who actually likes nice Bibles. I am sure many of the posts during my first few years of doing this blog often reflected that mentality.

As I reflect on all of that now, much of my thought (and crusading) was focused on seeking something fairly unimportant, really, while missing the whole point altogether. It has taken a number of years, multiple re-bindings, dozens (although my wife would say more) Bible purchases, and hundreds of posts on this blog to realize that all of that really didn't matter. I have come to the conclusion that what matters most is represented in the picture above. Yeah, its not a Catholic version, but that is not the point. It represents the many, mostly older women, who I have seen and talked with at charismatic and other prayer groups who have been reading their one, single, solitary Bible for decades. Specifically, there was a woman I talked with at a conference about five years ago or so who was reading out of her 1966 imitation leather Jerusalem Bible. The full one too, with all those fantastic notes and the beautiful single-column format. Her Bible was tattered, underlined and highlighted, bent, torn, and worn. The Bible ribbon looked like it had fallen off sometime in the 1980's. The spine was held together with duct tape and she used a thick rubber band to close the Bible with all her hand written notes and prayers. What a beautiful sight! Outside of my wife and children (and maybe Rome), I would say that tattered, decrepit old Bible was the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen. It was loved, prayed with, studied, and had clearly been a constant companion to that woman for likely longer than I had been alive.

Over the past year, I have had a hard time getting that image out of my mind, particularly during morning prayer time. I know, at least for me, seeking the Holy Grail of Catholic Bibles is not an option anymore. Particularly since it doesn't actually exist! It is time to settle down with one Bible. (Now don't worry, I'll still be doing reviews and welcoming guest Bible reviews.) I want my Bible to look like the one pictured above. I will of course be using reference and study Bibles for teaching and study. I think I will stick to hardcover editions of those, since they reflect a more reference Bible style. It is time, however, to have one Bible. While the "head" knowledge is important, the "heart" knowledge is what gives life.

So, I am starting a process of gifting out most of my Bibles. I have been sort of doing that on this blog for the past year or so, sensing that this was the direction I was going to go. Stay tuned for some more opportunities on getting some of the Bibles I have left. For me, it is time to have a companion. It is time for a Bible that is more than a translation or a premium style of leather, but one that I will remain faithful to. That is the thing really, if I actually want to be honest. I have too often been flirting with other Bibles and translations, when the reality is that all I needed was just the one. It was always just the one. I am Gomer.

70 comments:

Russ
said...

Hello Gomer:

My goal was to use the NRSV as my bible this year but I failed with flying colors. I kept going back to the NJB, while also reading my new King translation. I've made the decision to just stay with the NJB. I love it and use and that's the end of my story. I don't know that it will ever look like that beautiful looking bible posted above but I just grab the NJB now.

My paternal Methodist grandmother had her zippered, purse sized, scuffed, dog-eared pages, gild worn, food stained, marked up, King James Bible was always close to her hand, sitting on the piano, the bedside table, in her purse, on the chair seat in front of which is knelt on large boned knees (likely praying for her "heathen" family members) and most importantly was in her heat and mind. She is one of the reasons I "came to Christ" several years after she died. I believe that.

Maybe that's part of the reason why, at this time in my life, Catholic or not, I am drawn to that thing.

Not only am I no longer looking for the perfect Catholic bible - or as you say, Gomer, Holy Grail of Catholic bibles, a good choice as such does not exist any more than the perfect Protestant bible -I am simply looking for connection in the heart and mind (but not mind in that mere intellectual assent accumulation of knowledge thing) and in application to my life (as it once was but from which I have drifted overly much).

What can I say. I found it as odd as anyone when I picked up a KJV and found it resonated. A Norton KJB is on route and that's the end. I've actually made something nigh on a vow that that is the end. It is. Which is why I am outing myself here, as it were :-)

Russ,The NJB is a gem. Enjoy it.

I am totally enjoying the King Bible. Odd hey, The King Bible and The King James Bible. #whoddathunk?

So,

It's not likely I will be a one-bible person ever. As Gomer says, "let's be honest" and even Gomer isn't fully a solo biblo man, not with study and teaching bibles :) However, I am in the space he is and narrowing the field, feeling the pull to have one goto in mind and heart latter this year. I think I will 'know' that choice later this year.

Last year I gave away and sold a number of bibles. I have others to looking for a home though I am not sure how to go about. Maybe Gomer could ask Timothy if he would allow a guest post of giveway/sell bibles?

Finally, sorry for the tease Gomer, but I cannot resist: http://www.bibledesignblog.com/2015/02/need-one-bible-guest-post.html

There is wisdom in this post. With all the translation "wars" and so for out there, we sometimes loose the point of it all. Jesum quaerens in libris says St. Augustine. Holy simplicity is a great grace from our Blessed Lord and should be sought and cherished by all.

Great post! It reminds me of a funny saxophone video about mouthpiece. Sax players like to try every model of mouthpiece out there, trying find the perfect one. They all have different qualities, different tradeoffs - loud, but hard to play soft or vice versa, bright or dark tone, etc. So this pro sax player posted the video where he hyped up the 'perfect' mouthpiece, that he as about to reveal -- and the answer was (drum roll)...

"The one you already have."

His point was there is no perfect mouthpiece, they all have tradeoffs, so you need to pick a decent one, and then learn to work with it - play to its strengths, learn to adjust and compensate for its weakness etc. You're better off doing that than switching every month and having to re-adjust.

The same might apply to bibles!

PS

So inquiring minds want to know: which bible are you picking! I know, I know, totally missing the point. ;)

Great blog today Timothy despite the fact it caused me a great many pangs of conscience I have to say.Could I follow your example?Honesty forbids me to say yes, even to say that I'm going to try ! I'm not even going to show my wife what you have written because I know what her reaction would be !

However, I totally take on board it's what the word says not the wrapping it comes in. Please Lord keep reminding me of this truth.By the way, who was or is Gomer?Thanks Timothy for yet another challange.

If your temperament is anything like mine, you might find yourself worrying about "missing out on something", whether it be the soon-to-be discontinued product offering ("Act now!"), or a life-changing theological/philosophical gem tucked away inside of some dusty old tome. If you had to read and compare all those different Bible translations just to make sure that you weren't missing out on something, then that's what needed to be done, in order to satisfy your intellectual curiosity and/or spiritual yearnings. God made you the way that you are, and it must surely please Him to see his children use the gift of reason to answer any questions about their faith, so that, freed from nagging questions, they might be able to love Him with "all their mind" (Mk 12:29).

Since we are thinking out loud today (as I do everyday), to show how we are all different; when I look at the picture of that well worn Bible I see a old worn out Bible that should have been replaced many years ago. I see so many possibilities in replacing it, just the way I am wired I guess. I don't write in my Bibles so there are no old notes for me to worry about, and even if there were they could be transfered to a new one.

Hi Tim, like you, I came to the same conclusion that there's no perfect bible. In my years searching, I couldn't find one so I'm still reading all translations. I wish I could go back to the days of my youth and my tattered old Good News Translation.Blessings brother.

I hope you'll allow me the opportunity to make a comment here - I'm not usually one to do so, I tend to just enjoy the posts, others's comments and the developing threads. But in this case, I really wanted to just jump in, and thank you for your thoughts. First off, I'm not a scholar of any sort, let alone in Sacred Scripture. I come here and follow so as to learn. That said, I totally understand what you're saying about collecting different translations. I do the same thing, and had an extensive assortment of Catholic versions. In addition to the aesthetics of the book itself, there were the needs of study, devotional reading, and homily prep.

But in the last year I came to your same conclusion and donated many of them to a local parish which runs a small gift shop and gladly accepts donations from my library for resale. I've chosen to stick with the Didache & Ignatius Bible RSV-CE, the Jerusalem Bible and the NAB (Rev. NT) of 1986. Additionally, I kept "A Harmony of the Gospels" (NIV), "Synopsis of the Four Gospels" (2nd Ed. - RSV) and "A Chronological Harmony of the Gospels" (3rd Ed., Confraternity Version). And for good measure, the Navarre Bible series (esp. the original 1980s individual NT books), the DR/Confraternity Bible (Cath. Book Pub, 1955), Douay-Rheims (1945) and Biblia Sacra Clementina (Colunga-Turrado, BAC 1977).

What really caused me to reflect on your post was that, ultimately, I use most often (exclusively, really) my 1986 NAB w/Rev.NT. It's the Personal Size in brown bonded leather which I bought sometime that year with my first real paycheck. Unlike your observations of the bible above, I'm absolutely finicky about underlining or writing in my Bible: ONLY EXCEPTIONALLY URGENT PASSAGES. Instead, I cut little slips out of mini Post It notes and use them as edge markers to reference a passage. While not tattered, my old 86 NAB has a well worn look and feel to it, stuffed with notes and cards too. I try not damage any book, but this one has been a warhorse in my library, my go-to Bible, and which helped during my vocation discernment.

My other observation is a tangent: my other 'obsessive' book is not so much a bible but my Daughters of St. Paul Vatican II Weekday Missal, bound in rexine. This book was such an important part of my spiritual life and discernment: the binding is loosening, the ribbons replaced, notes and writings on the inside, well-thumbed prayer book section in the back (Prayers before and after communion, Prayer before a crucifix, Prayer before and after confession, et. al.), and the Ordinary of the Mass starting to pull out from the middle of the book. And at the "Communion Rite" the page edges are wrinkled, yellowed and slowly dissolving from the oils and perspiration where my finger was resting, in preparation for communion. Plus, it too still has all the prayer cards, notes and papers cascading out every time I open it up!

Probably unlike the others who read your blog, I came to love the Sacred Scriptures by a different route: that is, by first using my missal at Mass. Just like the way my parents did with their old pocket/purse daily missals from the 1950s. Having the Old Testament, Psalm, and Gospel portion for the day really directed me towards the richness of the sacred liturgy and sacred scripture.

I entered the seminary in 1999 and both accompanied me through to ordination.

While I still use the NAB, the old missal - now superseded by the latest translation - sits on my shelf, just as I last used it in the seminary. Of course, seminary and priesthood changed my habits of Mass and homily preparation because now I have my own lectionaries and altar missal, becoming more 'professional' and thus not needing the hand missal of so many years ago. But I'm afraid, it's one book I can't yet part with.

I would like to make an ardent request to you. This has been my want since the time immemorial that I have been reading your blog.

I have been waiting for this Bible of yours to be given away in your international contests.

Please allot to me your CTS leather Catholic Bible (or the basic hardcover one if the expenses will be too heavy for you) if you would want to.

Seriously, I am longing so much for this one. I love the cadence of the Jerusalem Bible. But the JB hasn't appeared in any handy editions. And in addition, I would like to fall in love with the Grail Psalms. So for that, I really, really want to have that one since it is unavailable here in the Philippines.

I am hoping so much for your consideration for this. I would be very thankful to you for this one.

I remember giving out some of my Bibles to my friends, including an ex-girlfriend.

Choosing and straddling between Catholic Bible versions makes us critical in reading the Bible. But sometimes, in being too strict about the granularity of things, we forget its essence.

It is perhaps novel to realize that a common layman reading The Message (Catholic Edition) all his life may have greater appreciation of the Bible than us being critical of the Scriptures, though it is not entirely bad to be like that. It is just that the Bible should effect in our lives more than it should improve our cognitive abilities.

Gerald de Belen--if you send me your address I will gladly send you the CTS New Catholic Bible with the JB translation. It is like new. I have had it only four months or so. It would be my pleasure to pass it on to someone who will use it.

Gerald, if you are willing to pay postage and *any small* offering you may take my copy. I'm in Canada. If you're interested Timothy may give you my email and you can send me you mailing info so I can work the postage.

Tim,I actually own that 1966JB you referenced in your post. I have always LOVED the 1966JB (especially this edition), the translation, its single-column layout, cross-references on the side margin, the paper, etc.. The reason I never made it my primary Bible was because of that awful plastic cover. The Bible is SEWN and executed so beautifully, yet bound in basically plastic. I couldn't stand the feel of it so I shelved it.

Now reading your post, it makes me think, "Jeez, Dave. You love everything about this Bible except the cover. Are you going to forsake potential growth through this 'edition' of the Bible because of the cover?!?!" And after reading how this older woman has my exact Bible held together with duct tape, I feel like an idiot now when I think about it.

Don’t feel too bad if after learning this lesson you also later come to learn that you can’t make the “single-Bible-read-it-till-it-falls-apart” thing happen. What you saw in the hands of that lady came naturally, I am sure. Her Bible represented how and what the Bible meant to her, reflected who she was as a person. If you try to get your Bible to be the same you might lose because you are not her. Your Bible will reflect what comes naturally to you.

You may be the man who loves the Bible in all its forms. Or your search through various Bibles may be a sign of something even more significant, a search for its Author on some more transcendent level through an odyssey of contemplation you have only yet begun.

Then again this can all be a sign of ambiguity intolerance mixed with obsessive-compulsive disorder with a need for more fiber in your diet.

Regardless of what it may be that gives you this itch, let your Bible be YOUR Bible. It doesn’t have to have copious notes or be falling apart to be a Bible loved, cherished, used, and most of all effective. Not one of my Bible’s has a single notation in it, and my oldest, my childhood Bible I was given in 1972, is in extremely good condition. The volumes don’t give anything away about my connection to them, some look barely used, but I bet I could run circles around anybody with a tattered Bible who challenged me on what I knew about Scripture (just ask a few Mormon missionaries and Jehovah’s Witnesses who have had the unfortunate experience of knocking on my door with a triumphant attitude).

Of course, having that one Bible end up in that tattered condition may be just what you need. So more power to you. In the end, however, it is not the condition of the Bible in the hand of the man that counts; it is the condition of the man who holds it.

I like the idea of having a main Bible (one the I use everyday twice a day for prayer), but for study or daily Mass readings I like a study type Bible. During study or general Mass readings I like to use different translations! I am not looking for the perfect Bible or translation because imho there isn't one. I just get enjoyment out of using various Bibles, and I use most of mine. Spur of the moment decisions cause me to switch translations ( as when one of the readers on this blog mentions a certain translation or Bible) , I'll switch for a day or two.

I have an idea for you, maybe you even thought of this before. If I were you, I would definitely pick one bible BUT do not pick it yourself. I would ask the people you love most, your wife and kids and other close family members, to get together and, as a "committee" of the people who love you most in the world, vote on the ONE Bible you should have. Ideally this would be a brand new Bible that they gift to you on your birthday or Christmas or Pentecost or Easter or some special day. You can give them some guidelines or just rely on the fact that they "know what you like." Or you might have them just pick among your top ten Bibles or whatever.

Now, why should you do this?

1. Every time you open this Bible you will think of the family who loves you. And the main lesson/idea of the bible is love.

2. You will know that they put a lot of thought into it and picked the one they think best "represents" you.

3. It will be irreplaceable (for you). If tomorrow, the Holy Grail of Bibles is released, and we both know the odds of that ever happening, you can be justified in preferring the one your family bought/picked for you because of the special meaning behind its selection.

4. Each family member adds value to your Bible by actively thinking and voting on the best Bible for you. This value is invisible but it is present nonetheless. (Or maybe let each person choose one aspect of the bible: translation, color, leather type, number of ribbons, or whatever. And maybe they can tell you why they chose what they did.)

5. It takes the burden off of you. If you pick one, it will be easy to change your mind later because you may doubt yourself and your selection. But your family's selection makes it "official" and "written in stone."

Other ideas:

1. Have this bible blessed by your favorite priest. If you don't have a favorite, any priest will do.

2. Have each family member pick their favorite bible verse, highlight it in your new bible with a bible appropriate highligher, and sign their name on the page in ink.

3. Have them write an inscription on the first page. To, from, date, special message, etc.

4. Have them gift wrap the bible and take plenty of pictures when you open it.

5. Have your family work with a custom bible person like Leonard. This way they can customize it as much as possible.

6. Each family member should pick a saint. Then get a holy card of that saint and intersperse them throughout your bible. And before placing the card, they should say a special prayer to that saint asking that saint to pray for you as you study your bible. BTW, one has to be St. Jerome! And some kind of card of the Blessed Mother would be necessary too.

7. That's it I'm all out of ideas. But add anything to the bible that can make it more meaningful. The point is to make this bible a "perfect storm" of factors that cannot be easily duplicated or replaced.

Then, enjoy "your" bible forever. And hopefully it will eventually look like the beat up one in your May 18th blog post.

I have an idea for you, maybe you even thought of this before. If I were you, I would definitely pick one bible BUT do not pick it yourself. I would ask the people you love most, your wife and kids and other close family members, to get together and, as a "committee" of the people who love you most in the world, vote on the ONE Bible you should have. Ideally this would be a brand new Bible that they gift to you on your birthday or Christmas or Pentecost or Easter or some special day. You can give them some guidelines or just rely on the fact that they "know what you like." Or you might have them just pick among your top ten Bibles or whatever.

Now, why should you do this?

1. Every time you open this Bible you will think of the family who loves you. And the main lesson/idea of the bible is love.

2. You will know that they put a lot of thought into it and picked the one they think best "represents" you.

3. It will be irreplaceable (for you). If tomorrow, the Holy Grailof Bibles is released, and we both know the odds of that ever happening, you can be justified in preferring the one your family bought/picked for you because of the special meaning behind its selection.

4. Each family member adds value to your Bible by actively thinking and voting on the best Bible for you. This value is invisible but it is present in a sense. (Or maybe let each person choose one aspect of the bible: translation, color, leather type, number of ribbons, or whatever. And maybe they can tell you why they chose what they did.)

5. It takes the burden off of you. If you pick one, it will be easy to change your mind later because you may doubt yourself and your selection. But your family's selection makes it "official."

Other ideas:

1. Have this bible blessed by your favorite priest. If you don't have a favorite, any priest will do.

2. Have each family member pick their favorite bible verse, highlight (bible friendly highlighter) it in your new bible, and sign their name on the page in ink.

3. Have them write an inscription on the first page. To, from, date, special message, etc.

4. Have them gift wrap the bible and take plenty of pictures when you open it.

5. Have your family work with a custom bible person like Leonard. This way they can customize it as much as possible.

6. Each family member should pick a saint. Then get a holy card of that saint and intersperse them throughout your bible. And before placing the card, they should say a special prayer to that saint asking that saint to pray for you as you study your bible. BTW, one of the saints needs to be St. Jerome! And a card of the Blessed Mother would be essential too.

7. That's it, I'm all out of ideas! But add anything to the bible that can make it more meaningful. The point is to make this bible a "perfect storm" of factors that cannot be easily duplicated or replaced.

Then, enjoy YOUR bible forever. And hopefully it will eventually look like the beat up one on your May 18th blog post.

Sure, the author of that famous quote (George Herbert) was an Anglican priest, but I think the sentiment applies even to a Catholic Bibles blog. Sorry to be the discordant voice.

If we could rely on a Bible just written in Greek and Hebrew, then reading just one Bible might make sense (well except for textual variations, evidence from the Qumran scrolls, etc.), but since most of us read Greek and Hebrew that falls a bit short of perfection, then I think there is value in consulting more than one translation. (There is plenty of Catholic precedence for this: consider Origen's Hexapala.)

And in practice, we need to deal with multiple translations in our religious lives. We encounter one translation in the lectionary, another in our academic studies, and perhaps a third in our teaching.

Speaking for myself, I often get outstanding insights from less common translations. (You have seen this yourself, it seems to me, with your quotations from The Message and Knox Bible, neither of which are mainstream Catholic choices.) For example, I am a big fan of the hyper-literal translations of Bibles that attempt to preserve wordplay, such as Robert Alter's and Everett Fox's translations of the Hebrew Bible. The New English Translation of the Septuagint opened up new insights for me. I could go on at length, but I think you see my point.

So, to me, the pledge to only read one Bible seems unnecessarily narrow - unless it be a Hebrew/Greek edition. (However, giving up leather bindings for well-made hardcover bindings seems like a sound decision indeed!)

Perhaps I am being a bit misunderstood, which I of course put at the feet of my poorly worded post. Let me just be clear in saying that I am convinced that I need to move to one solitary bible edition that will accompany me on my daily journey of faith, which includes prayer, study, and teaching. I am not saying I will forsake all other translations. Certainly not. My comment above about having hardcover editions useful for reference and study and comparisons means that I will consult them when needed. So, in the future, I will cease to buy leather editions, which I tend to associate with daily Bibles used for multiple purposes. Great insights can and are found in having multiple translations, that is certainly not being denied by me in any way. However, I am going to stick with one. Along with my comment about being convicted of this in prayer, I think it is important for me as a father and instructor/teacher to show this consistency as well. In many ways, seething this in others, many years ago, led me to where I am today.

I have to admit to not sticking with the OBOY challenge. This post has inspired me to look at all the translations I have and pick one. For me, it will most likely be the NAB. It's the Catholic Bible that's been with me the longest, with quotes used for praying the Rosary, it's part of the Divine Office, the US Catechism, and the daily Mass readings that I read to Mom. It's the one with dog eared pages, highlighted passages, and writing in the back for where to go for longer passages for the mysteries of the Rosary. I'll probably continue to mark it up, but now with colored pencil after learning first hand that highlighters and Bible paper aren't a good match.There's been a desire to have less clutter and live more simply....so it may be time to give away/donate some Bibles that are collecting dust.

As I sit here and look at my stack of 30-odd leather-bound Bibles in various translations, many of them NRSV, all of them obtained in the last 3 years, I gotta say I completely understand that this is probably an addiction driven by a desire for the perfect Bible, which quite simply does not exist for me. When I started, I only had a copy of the SJB, a NOAB NRSV 4th ed., and a Harper compact NRSV+A. And that was plenty good, I needed no more, all needs were met with that trio. And, like you, I know that part of what I want is to find that ONE Bible that will be with me for the next 40 years or more, at some point completely worn out. Perhaps one day my sons will look on it and remember it as my constant companion, possibly even argue over who gets it when I pass (to be honest, it will likely end up with my youngest).

But that's not possible with this stack of 30-odd Bibles, and I just don't know how to give up most of them, go back down to just three again, or even to just one.

I love the Harper nabre. I have the imitation leather one and think it is by far the best layout of the nabre. My struggle with making it my lifelong bible is that it keeps getting revised. And now they are revising it again to match the mass readings. Whereas something like the nrsv or jb1966 or d-r or kjv stand on their own. Even the rsvce which I also love has been revised as the rsv2ce and now we can't get the original one anymore let alone in a decent binding. So if you stick with your Harper nabre what will you do when the revised one comes out and you are jazzed because it matches the mass? :)

Just wanted to share a section from an episode of "The Journey Home" that is kind of on this topic. Start from the 24:00 minute mark and watch to the 30:00 mark , but I think this whole episode is great.

Great advice on the video. It's not hard to tell Marcus was a Protestant and there developed a deep love and respect for the revealed word of God.

Probably mentioned this but, I had an NIV thinline in a teal colour (got it on a scratch and dent bible sale in 1980) about a year after I "came to Christ". It went everywhere with me. It got underlined, highlighted and I can, to this day, close my eyes and see exactly how Colossians 1 looks and where on the page and which facing page John 10:10 is and countless other passages.

David,I found the segment and even paused it but couldn't make out the nameon the spine. On the vimeo, it occurs at 8:00-8:05. I never would have found it without your clue!Thanks very much.Could you or Timothy make out the words on the spine?

Jeff,No problem! When I paused it at first it looked like "Jerusalem bible" to me but I don't know of any jb's that look like that. Then I saw tims video for the little rock bible and that spine looks very similar But her bible looks OLD. So I am really unsure!

GeraldI love the size, I like that in the cts that "Yahweh" is updated to "lord" (although in many places Yahweh works really well), I like the single column format and side column references....

but i really dislike that they chose to use the Grail psalms instead of the original Jerusalem bible psalms. That's a big drawback for me as the JB psalms are so poetic and beautiful as opposed to the bland Grail psalms. Having said that I understand that most lectionaries use the Grail psalms so I understand why they chose to do that for the cts. So I'm still using my original 1966 Jerusalem bible (which I happen to think is vastly superior to the nabre, rsv, or nrsv). This bible (and it's fantastic notes) belongs back in print in a quality binding and Catholics need to reconsider this beautiful translation!

David I agree, I like the Jerusalem Bible Psalms better, they are a little more refreshing. I had the CTS Bible for a while but I like the semi-compact reader's edition of the Jerusalem Bible(in sheepskin) that I reviewed on this blog, better. I know you have a copy of it, the only problem is that it is hard to find and tends to be way overpriced. I found the reader's edition to be much more readable even with its size 7 font. The CTS Bible had some abbreviated notes, but in a smaller size Bible I personally don't need study notes.

RolfYes thanks to your post i DO now own a copy of that leather readers edition and i too love it! It does have a few notes in it including ot references in the nt which is perfect for my needs! I do struggle with the font size sometimes (usually when reading later at night) which is why I tend to still use the full size one. I actually also love the paper they used in both editions... Feels great to the touch and its unique (like the font and layout are unique). But ugh that plastic cover on the full size drives me batty! Lol! Someday I will be able to afford to rebind my full size 1966jb and will have my perfect bible... Someday ....

Hi David, which exact edition of the full size Jerusalem Bible do you have that has a plastic cover? Do you have an ISBN# or an Internet link? I am just curious to know the exact one you are talking about. Much appreciated if you can help!

It's listed as imitation leather but it's like a plasticy-gift bible quality cover. It is what it is and it doesn't stop me from using it because I love the translation so much but if I could rebind I would in a heartbeat! Might not bother you though!

Thank you very much David! I know which one you are talking about now. The Jerusalem Bible is a great translation. I was first drawn to it when I heard that J.R.R. Tolkien translated the book of Jonah in this Bible. That alone is worth the price of admission! Wish the Jerusalem Bible was more widely available in multiple editions.

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Message 4 Next Week

Prayer of Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.